


Oh Heaven

by spinner33



Series: CM - AU [9]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Fluffy sweetness, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, thumb sucking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-23
Updated: 2015-10-23
Packaged: 2018-04-27 17:34:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5057593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spinner33/pseuds/spinner33
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>follows "Hell Is Empty"  Hurt/Comfort fic</p><p>The team comforts Reid.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Oh Heaven

A hug is the shortest distance between two friends. -- Author Unknown

 

Hotch glanced up from his desk, from the never-ending reports that seemed to multiply like rabbits when he looked away from his inbox. Morgan was at the door to his office, waving to get his attention, waving to say goodnight, Hotch realized as Derek tapped his watch and pointed away. Hotch nodded in reply and gave a small, silent wave. Morgan came into the office instead of leaving. He tip-toed a few inches in and cast his eyes carefully across the small room.

A sad, kind smile took over Morgan’s face. Hotch gave Derek a cautionary look and put a single finger over his mouth as a signal to keep quiet. Morgan tip-toed away again, but not without a quick pat on Aaron’s shoulder before he was gone. For the weekend? Hotch shook himself. It was five o’clock on Friday again. When had that happened? He had survived another whole week. It was getting easier and easier.

The parade began. Morgan must have spoken to the others. They were all concerned about Hotch and Reid after what had happened on the case in Fresno. Hotch could make it a night or two without bad dreams, but there were mornings when he woke up shaking with fear and could smell and taste the dirt and the pain of that nasty, bloody basement as if it had all happened yesterday. Reid was not so lucky. It was clear that he wasn’t sleeping well. Time was not going to make the memories fade. Counseling wasn’t as successful as Hotch had hoped, so Aaron had resorted to alternate methods of healing.

Not two minutes after Derek had stepped away, Emily Prentiss was at Hotch’s office door. She gave him a half- smile and stepped quietly in. She was in her stocking feet – she must have left her heels at her desk. Emily came in the office as far as Hotch would allow and looked to the other side of the room.

Prentiss put a hand to her heart and turned to face Hotch. Hotch wiggled one hand at her, his thumb pointing to the door, and he gave her a stern frown. Emily made an exaggerated sad face and walked out again, still holding her heart.

They were definitely talking out there. Hotch could hear soft voices. Rossi and JJ appeared together. Rossi came over to Hotch’s desk and stood behind him. Hotch glared up at Dave when the oldest profiler slid a squishy rubber pacifier into Hotch’s hand. Aaron lifted the bright blue object and shook his head at Rossi, pointing to the door. Rossi patted Hotch’s shoulder and strode away. Hotch put the pacifier in his desk drawer.

JJ walked towards Hotch’s big black leather couch, and Hotch stood quickly up from his chair, waving both hands at her, squeaking, clearing his throat, doing anything but shouting at her, which had been his first impulse. JJ stopped in her tracks. Hotch took her by the arm and dragged her bodily out of his office. He pulled his door to within a millimeter from closed, and glared at the lot of them where they were perched on the raised platform.

“Good night. Have a relaxing weekend. I'll see you Monday morning,” Aaron intoned in a hushed voice.

“That’s really bad for his teeth,” JJ said plainly.

“If you disturb Reid, I will shoot you,” Hotch warned. It was not a threat one took lightly from someone who started out in SWAT. JJ crossed her arms over her chest and frowned at Hotch.

“You need to wake him up or he won’t sleep tonight,” JJ said, still in Mommy-Mode.

“I will,” Hotch assured her. Like there was any chance Reid was sleeping at night?

“Do you need help getting him up and getting him home?” Prentiss asked.

“No, I got him,” Hotch assured her. It was becoming habit, their private little routine. Since Fresno, Reid had often come into Hotch’s office in mid-afternoon and fallen asleep on his big comfy couch. Aaron had always had an open- door policy in regards to his subordinate personnel. 

The first afternoon when Reid had sidled up to his office door, looking like a scared, whipped puppy, Hotch had pointed him to the big couch. Aaron couldn’t count the number of evenings since then that he had awakened Reid, gathered him up, and taken him home to the safety of his bed. There were even nights when Hotch had crawled in beside Reid to sleep. Aaron was looking forward to their routine, actually. The warmth of another human being had meant a lot to both of them. The safe embraces and the gentle, reassuring hugs were good for both parties, as far as Hotch was concerned.

While Hotch had the rest of the team cornered on one side of the raised platform and was guided them carefully and slowly but surely towards the exit, the elevator doors opened. Penelope Garcia popped out, all bright colors and sunshine. She was carrying Reid’s satchel – he must have left it in her office earlier in the day. As Hotch was herding the other team members off the platform, Garcia went around to the far side of the room and up via the alternate side of the ramp. She was in Hotch’s office before he knew what was happening.

Aaron sprinted back to stop Garcia.

JJ, Emily, Derek, and Dave all followed Hotch back up the ramp.

Garcia was already across the office and standing over Reid. Spencer was balled up on the couch, thumb in his mouth, hair in his eyes. Somehow, Spencer had managed to snuggle his entire frame under Hotch’s suit jacket. Only his multi-colored toes were peeking out at the bottom. Hotch’s eyes went wide with alarm as Penelope traced one finger through Reid’s hair and drew his bangs out of his eyes. She bent down and touched his tousled hair with a tender kiss.

Hotch cringed. Morgan inhaled sharply, covering his mouth. JJ covered her eyes. Prentiss winced. Rossi burst with a wicked grin and barely kept himself from laughing out loud.

Reid slowly opened his eyes. His legs stretched out to full length, toes wiggling. He withdrew his long thumb from his mouth. Reid sat up, blinking like a mole dragged unexpectedly from the protection of its burrow and thrust into daylight. He licked his bottom lip and rubbed his wet thumb until it was dry. His shoulders were slouching unsurely, and his head was bowed nearly to the middle of his chest.

Aaron was in front of the couch in an instant. He gave Garcia the famous SAIC Aaron Hotchner Death Glare at full power. Penelope stood up, buttoning her bright yellow sweater and then patting Reid on top of his tousled curls. She straightened her earrings – tiny yellow ponies – wondering why Hotch was glaring at her the way he was.

Reid stared slowly up at Hotch, focusing only on him. Spencer scooted sideways, hiding his face in Hotch’s left hip, latching one set of fingers into the trouser pocket on Hotch’s right hip. Aaron’s heart melted as he felt the other set of fingers curl into the material of his trouser leg near the back of his knee. Hotch sighed contentedly, and stroked Reid’s hair, wishing he was close enough to dot reassuring kisses in those sandy curls. Reid huddled closer to Hotch and held on tighter. Hotch worried what dreams were drifting away from Reid’s mind.

Someone behind Hotch sighed as if in great pain. Aaron cast a cautious glance back at his team, all of whom were wearing the same silly, wrinkled smile as they tilted their heads to one side. He couldn’t tell who had sighed, but he had his suspicions it was Prentiss.

“Dinner anyone?” Rossi asked.

“Are you hungry, Boo?” Penelope asked as she petted Reid’s shoulder. Spencer looked up at her as if only now realizing there were actually several other people standing in the office.

Hotch cast dark, dangerous eyes at Garcia, and she smiled anxiously. Hotch growled deep in his chest, like a wolf protecting a favorite pup. Maybe she was imagining it, but Penelope could have sworn that Hotch’s hair got taller and straighter when he made that deep, gravelly, threatening noise.

“I’ll make reservations,” Garcia offered, fleeing towards the rest of the team.

Hotch drew Reid to his feet. Spencer wobbled on Bambi legs for a moment before he righted himself. Hotch picked up his suit jacket and pulled it on, giving the lapel a  
sniff. Oh Heaven – the jacket smelled like Reid, like cinnamon and clean soap and boyish innocence. In spite of everything that Reid had endured, the incorruptible  
pureness about him remained. Hotch wanted to hug himself. He wanted to hug Reid even more. He absolutely wanted to roll in the scent of that innocent purity.

“Have I been asleep very long?” Reid wondered in a low, scratchy voice as he followed Hotch out of the office. Almost everyone else was already headed for the elevators.

“No,” Hotch lied, shaking his head.

“Only about five hours,” Morgan answered honestly, rubbing both Reid’s shoulders in a quick grasp.

“Was I drooling?” Reid asked, drying the left side of his jaw.

“Yes,” Hotch replied. Morgan started to answer, but Hotch nodded. “Yes,” he repeated, giving Derek a meaningful look.

“Yes,” Morgan agreed. “Drooling everywhere.”

The entire team piled into the elevator together. Reid rubbed the sleep from his eyes and wondered why everyone was watching him out of the corner of their eyes.


End file.
